Robert "Bob" Miller, 2003 candidate for Madison County's Board of Supervisors and creator of MADISONmatters.com, recently met with Senator Herb Kohl in Washington, D.C. to discuss family farmers and protection of the environment in the Ag Spending Bill.
The Environmental
Working Group (EWG) recently praised Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) for supporting
programs designed for family farmers in the Agriculture Appropriations
Bill for FY 2003. As Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations
Subcommittee, Kohl ensured the funding levels for farmland conservation in
Wisconsin and across the country was maintained at the levels set in the
recently enacted farm bill.
Miller and Kohl discussed the fact that many states have large backlogs
of unfunded applications from small farmers seeking to participate in conservation programs. These programs pay farmers not to sell their land to developers, protect drinking water quality by preventing soil erosion and nutrient runoff, using fewer toxic pesticides and maintaining wetland habitat for wildlife.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), agricultural pollution is the leading cause of water pollution in lakes, streams and rivers, a problem that particularly affects rural communities' drinking water supplies. U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) figures show that farmers apply 40 billion pounds of fertilizer and about 500 million pounds of pesticides to their crops every year, much of which can end up in the water supply. Soil and animal waste from
large feedlots for hogs, poultry and cattle also contribute to the problem.
Nationally there is a $2.4 billion backlog in applications for conservation help for farmers which affects those living in rural areas as well as city dwellers.
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